Crimson Capes
by the iron lion
Summary: How will the mostly functioning kingdoms react to a brutally efficient war machine with a solid PR representative? Join me as I figure out what I'm doing with this story.
1. Pilot

_So, I decided to finally write a story, and it's going to be a crossover between a show I've never watched and a game I haven't played in so long that I can't remember what's modded in and what's in the base game. I also don't know where I'm going with this story. I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go along._

Junior looked up from the club's insurance forms to see a middle-aged man in in dark, tight fitting suit with a white chest piece moving through the splintered remains of the dance floor towards the bar. As he moved to take a seat, Junior put away his paperwork and attempted to put on a friendly smile.

"We aren't exactly open for customers right now, buddy, so I'm going to assume that you're here for business. What are you looking for?"

"I'm new in town and heard that you're the guy for finding and spreading news. I represent a uh … private security firm looking to establish a foothold in a fresh market. Know of anyone looking for some muscle in the area?"

"We can talk more in the back, this way" Junior replied, pointing to and moving to a hallway in the back of the room.

As they settled into a cozy office, he began asking for information.

"I'll need your name, the name of your ... company, how much manpower you have, and what you specialize in. So I know where you be the most useful."

"Of course, I go by Mercurio. I've got 20 men in the city, 4 infiltration specialists and the other 16 are trained for anything from guarding doors to assaulting fortified position. Just don't let them near anyone you want to remain friends with. And I represent Caesar's Legion.  
 _-_

 _I'm probably going to actually watch the show before I go any further, so the stories going to be a bit of a hold while I watch cartoons and figure out what I'm doing. This is also my first attempt at writing something other than a research paper, so criticism is helpful. I've got a name and a general idea of things to come, but I'd like to have knowledge of the story before anything's set in stone._


	2. An Authors Note

_I'm getting settled into the new job, so I'll be spending more than an hour writing the next few chapters. I'll try and respond to reviews with a personal response via pm to those I can, and a more general response at the end of the chapter to common or popular questions. I'll be doing a bit of a character sheet/summary of details about the courier and important assisting cast members that I'm not going to show, either because I can't think of a way to include it organically, or because I don't have confidence in my ability to write characters without leaving out details or over doing things yet and I don't want to confuse people. So, a bit of an info dump, sorry about that. I'll try and clean up the early chapters once I get into practice._

Mercurio\- The Courier. Comes from a cluster of tribes within Yosemite National Park, established by hippies and LARPers and united by a Hindu inspired tribe several generations before he was born. Have a culture made up of watered down Indian and native American cultures (from the hippies), and fantasy ideals from European cultures (Nordic, Saxon, and other similar races RPGs like to take from). Was born to a high caste family and took issue with the rigid traditionalism and the total control the ruling castes had over the lower castes. He converted to an ascetic cult and struck out into the wide world. He joined the followers to try and improve the world, studying sciences and picking up useful combat skills for self-defense (energy weapons). Was moved to the Mojave outpost to perform soil analysis on agricultural land and help improve living conditions. Grew tired of seeing the locals throwing away his hard work for their own physical pleasure, began to reconsider the stability of the caste system he doubted in his youth. Started taking on courier jobs to pay for supplies to get back home. Got shot in the head. Joined the legion and was put in charge of securing peace in the Mojave while Lanius returns to maintain order in the East and Caesar begins implementing domestic policy and renovating Vegas. Was given the name as a joke about his old job as a courier. _Might start planning to include Willow in this story, as well as other mods. A bit longer than I would have liked, but he is the main character._

Dog\- Frightened, dumb, and emotionally unstable, Dog has come to be completely loyal to the man who made the voices stop and helped heal the more dangerous of the self-inflicted injuries. The couriers praetorian, will be making ample use of stealth boys during his stay. _A simple description for a simple character._

Raul\- An old ghoul who has taken to a support position in the courier's forces. Often debates with the courier about his ideas of an abhuman cohort consisting of ghouls and super mutants specializing in combat in irradiated zones, as well as weapons that create radiation. Will wear a helmet in the open. _It's my opinion that Raul doesn't completely agree completely with many of the legions policies but thinks that the stability they provide will do more good than evil in the long run._

Max Carnage and Savage Rage- The two recruit decani who managed to come with the rest of their contubernium. Will be doing most of the grunt work to establish a working relationship with whoever the courier wants to make friends with. _I hope everyone appreciates the names._

 _I'm taking names for the four frumentarii. I think one will be Ludus Rex, not sure about the rest. Maybe a few dogs as well._

 _And now for responses to reviews_

RedRobin457 and 31337 _Thank you_ _for the interest, I'll try and keep to a regular update schedule. Every week and a half maybe._

Guest 1 _Pro legion anything is rare to be honest, they're a bunch of cosplayers in skirts after all_

Guest 2 and Fizz _fixed the summary, thanks for that_

Thatonecommissar _It'll happen eventually_

War Wraith _Don't worry, their refusal to take medicines and hatred of technology will cause some struggles._


	3. I now have an idea of what I'm doing

_I'm going to butcher Raul's Spanish in this and any chapter involving him. If anyone could correct or offer a cleaner translation, I'll fix it after and give you credit in the next chapter. Responses to reviews after the chapter as usual._

Junior glanced over the notes he'd taken with some suspicion. The man's offer of manpower had been incredibly timed, too soon for law enforcement to set up any kind of undercover investigation, but not too soon for rivals to try and take advantage of the lapse in security. That blonde girl might have even been a part of a plan to stick a few spies into his network.

"So, you've just got the twenty boys with you?"

"With me, I've got command of another four hundred back home, but they're tied up with existing contracts. I can try and shift some orders around to bring a few more teams in if needed, but I can't guaranty that I'll be able to bring any significant numbers to the city quickly."

Four hundred huh? This Mercurio was most likely exaggerating his workforce, but if he would have known if any of his competitors had increased their numbers by anywhere near that number. And he was a bit too foreign with his body language and accent, definitely from outside the city. But he could still be working for some other organization. Best to test him out with something harmless. Roman still needed some muscle for that project of his.

"Your teams are fine with grunt work, right? Good, I've got a contract for you then. I can't give you any names or details, but you'll meet your employer here at this time" Junior pulled out a small map of one of the city districts and circled a building and wrote a date and time. "You'll get more details from him. I'll be taking a small cut of the pay as a finder's fee. Come back for your pay and more work when you finish up with them."

Mercurio sat at desk in the half-collapsed building serving as the temporary legion headquarters, taking in the places of interest marked on the maps gathered by the few green frumentarius he had brought with the team investigating the abandoned brotherhood base that had brought them to this new world.

"Have you made any progress with the device yet?"

"Sorry boss, the mechanical components look fine, but I can't get la maldita cosa to turn on. I'm going to need some more time to toy around with it. Maybe I'm missing something obvious. Could you can offer some that magical insight of yours?"

"Hmm" he replied, twisting his moustache in thought. "Maybe it used up its power supply bringing us here? Have you examined the batteries?"

"They look like they're hooked to an RTG boss. I'll make sure the capacitor banks are actually getting power though, generator might last forever, but that don't mean the wiring will."

"Let Dog know if you need to move something heavy, and send the decani in, I've got a mission for them."

"Will do, but if he brings a broken toaster I'm not letting him back in."

 _A chapter I didn't wright in a single sitting in under an hour! Summer courses are starting soon, and I'll be working part time at the same time, so I'll be putting out short chapters I can squeeze out between any homework, or during down time at work. Word makes the chapter seem longer when I write them._

 _Now for reviews, which give me a weird sense accomplishment and make me want to write more._

 _31337-Here you go_

Thatonecommissar- Read this at work and spent way too much time thinking about why no one writes about the legion during my downtime. I think you don't get many good legion stories because people think the legion is only good for edgy bad guy characters, whereas I see the legion as a natural response to the anarchy of waste. Mercurio has indeed met the Graham Cracker and considers him to be a strange man with a strange religion. He does come from a polytheistic society after all and has accepted Mars as a real deity easily enough. He also considers him a failure who can't even take his punishment correctly, but will deny any accusations of him taking the religious between the two too far. He also constantly makes fun of Ulysses for his near betrayal of the legion.


	4. Base Building, and nothing else

_So I write these out in word, and they look like they're on the longer side, but then I upload it to FF and the chapters barely a five minute read. I'm on some medication, so if dialogue doesn't make sense, that's my excuse. I should have made it a bit clearer, but the legion has based itself in a small set of ruins about eight hours march outside of the city. Also, I'm halfway through the second season, I'll try and get on that, so I don't make any obvious lore errors. And let me know what you think about the image I made for the stories thumbnail. Put it up when I first published this story, but apparently I didn't save the settings or something. Reviews are like a drug by the way, every time I put up a chapter, I spend the next three days getting worked up every time I get notified about an email, so go ahead and spam them._

* * *

"Raul, how the hell is an RTG out of fuel?"

"Well, I can't find any restos, so I think maybe the brotherhood took the Uranium out. Probably to use it somewhere else."

Scratching his face, Mercurio looked at the teleporter. When they couldn't immediately get the teleporter to send them back to the well defended stadium they had found it in, he had ordered his limited forces to fortify the small town and settle into a proper guard rotation while Raul to fix the thing. The large device took up most of the barn they had hidden it in, removing all non-essential walls and supports and much of the upper storage areas to get it to fit. It had taken much of the first few days for Raul to disassemble the machine, examine the parts for damage, and then rebuild it within the newly refurbished building. Sighing, he declared," Well, other forms of power exist, so all we need to do is get these batteries charged to get home."

"Go home? Are you sure boss? This place seems encantador, maybe you should consider staying."

"And abandon the legion, everyone we're meant to protect, and the land we've worked so hard to bring order to? I've worked too hard to simply run off when we find a nicer looking planet."

"Isn't this just that sunken cost fallacy you're always warning the boys about? We could just start bringing people through the device!"

"No, this is about rebuilding the world our ancestors ruined. If we just run off without fixing it, will we have learned our lesson? All that'll happen is future generations will start thinking that they can simply nuke themselves into oblivion whenever they want and just run away and start a new civilization. As Caesar has taught, greed and wastefulness will lead to inevitable ruin. We must insure that humanity abandons its profligate habits"

"… If you say so boss."

"Don't worry, we'll be making use of the new territory, taking in recruits and resources. Maybe even a vacation home. Besides, the logistics of bringing that many refugees to a world that doesn't even know we exist are beyond our abilities."

Further conversation was cut off as a legionnaire approached with news. "My lord, we've completed construction of the perimeter defenses, as well as the kennels and a small temple to Mars. We await further instructions."

"Excellent work recruit, I shall inspect the walls momentarily. In the meantime, take Dog to the temple and submit an offering. You'll be doing mercenary work tonight. One of the frumentarii will be joining you, insure he has the opportunity to question our employer, but don't ruin any possibility of a future relationship with them."

* * *

 _I'm going to cut it off here. I'm trying to make these longer, but days are kinda going by in a blur, and I never seem to be able to find time to write, and my wrists start to hurt when I'm on my computer for more than five minutes. I drew a quick picture of the layout of the current base the teams set up at, I'll post that somewhere when I can. Here's the responses:_

Thatonecommissar: Thanks for the concern, And I'm always willing to overanalyze about in video games, send a PM if you want to talk about this kind of stuff. Like how Caesar and Vulpus describe Lanius so differently that they're likely talking about different people in the same mask. This goes for anyone who wants to.

Pax Americana: I'm working on it man, chapter three is twice as long as two, and this one will hopefully be a hiccup in the long run.


	5. Things Happen

Recruit Decanis Grogglenax was upset. His training was ingrained enough for him to not let it show, but his brothers had served with him long enough to learn the subtle tells he gave, and was visibly seething by his standards.

"My lord, I do not wish to sound impertinent, but must we really lower ourselves to working with such garbage?" He glanced at the men in red suits huddled around a table, slightly inebriated and engaged in a poker game.

"We don't have the numbers and recognition we have back home, and we must learn to deal with such scum until we are better established. Do not fret, it is only temporary. We will repay these pests for their degeneracy in due time." Mercurio placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "And you will be in charge of teaching them how a respectable person behaves. Begin now by showing them how to quickly and efficiently do their job. Our employer has informed me that all of them were beaten by a single girl half their age. Embarrass them with your superior skill, maybe that will shame them into correcting their behavior."

"Of course, sir. What are the rules of engagement for this operation?"

"Our mission is to provide support to the mercenaries already assigned to this job during a series of robberies. No captures, no dead. Simply move in quickly and take as much of the explosives as you can carry while this Torchwick man and I distract local law enforcement on the other side of the district. I have been informed that the crystal form of this dust explosive is more stable and has a higher energy density than the powder form, prioritize this. You will unfortunately be taking orders from the other mercenaries during the mission, I expect you to follow orders with the obedience and respect I've come to expect from you. Our employer will be arriving shortly, prepair your equipment. dont bother with praying, Mars will be disappointed if we drag his name into such a petty exercise."

"Dick!"

"Its Richard."

"Its your move, penis."

Richard Grey sighed, then returned his attention to the cards in his hand. If last month someone had told him that he'd be playing a children's card game with a group of criminals while undercover in the biggest gang currently in the city, he wouldn't have believed them. But here he was. And those new guys in skirts were unnerving him. First, they stand silently at attention for hours, not even adjusting in the slightest. Then that man in the talking armor with that weird light distortion that followed him around showed up, and they started chanting in a strange language in the corner. This was definitely above his pay grade.

"What do you guys think of the hired muscle?" The others took a moment away from the game to finally realize that a group of men in metal and leather were kneeling in a circle, arms around one another and singing in grating, but practiced voices.

"Holy shit, how long have they been here?"

"'Bout an hour now, apparently Roman was disappointed with our last outing." Not that he could blame the man. Even if their loss was inevitable against a kid with hunter training, the skill and teamwork on display was amateur at best. How did Jr. get so far with the likes of them?

Torchwick was unimpressed with his partner for the upcoming job. No aura, no driving experience, and no mechashift weapon. Just a farmers shotgun and some kind of hydraulic gauntlet.

"Alright, I suppose you'll have to do. Even if you end being dead weight, I can at least use you as a distraction. Give me your contact information, incase we get separated."

A walkie talkie, huh? Smart of him.

"We use classical latin instead of complex encryption or easily broken code words. Though we'll have to settle for simple codes to accommodate you."

"Hmph. You don't look like much yourself, friend. And who is this 'we'?"

"I've brought along my bodyguard, I hope you dont mind" he replied, pointing out the large humanoid form that briefly shimmered before fading back into the nigh.

 _Sorry this wasn't worth the wait, but I'm overloaded with work and school right now, so the plan is to pump out a chapter during work, then clean it up during whatever free time I have when I'm not doing homework. Expect another chapter by the end of next month. I'll try and get an edited version of this up by the end of this month._


	6. back into it

Grogglnax was enjoying the silence of the walk towards the markets. None if the needless conversation the locals seemed so fond of, no degenerate vices taking place in his sight. Just him, his brothers, and the task in front of him. If it weren't for the broken moon and unfamiliar architecture, he could've pretended he was performing the familiar patrols of freeside. Watch the alleys for signs of ambush. Examine the civilians for suspicious behavior or signs of drug use. Shout orders at Secundus and Tertias to maintain proper spacing. Watch his men for signs of shapeshifter infiltration. He'd yet to see any sign such things existed, but Mercurio had warned to be wary of the unexpected, and had seemed genuinely concerned when he had brought up the possibility that such abilities may exist in this strange new world. He noticed one of the group that he was to support was heading towards him. He hoped he wouldn't bother him with pointless attempts at small talk, but he would have to play nice for now. As Mercurio had often said, kindness could be just as useful a tool as cruelty. And they'd need as much as an advantage as they could get here.

"So what's your name?" Asked the man. Richard, he believed, leader of the group. And he was asking for something he'll probably need, that was fine. But while not pointless small talk, this could potentially lead to it.

"Its Decanis Grogglenax."

"... Alright then."

Good, hes lea- "So is that your real name, or do you guys give each other codenames or something?" It's a shame I have to play nice.

"Mercurio gives us recruits joke names until we prove ourselves in combat. I believe that he began it as an insult to our opponents in the NCR rangers, who are given ridiculous names as veterans. I suggest you direct your questions to the frumentarii, he's the one who can determine what we're allowed to speak about."

"Um, okay I guess. " At last, peace and quiet.

Officer Grey was just short of panicking. Months of undercover work, as well as his own life, was potentially at risk because of these new mercenaries. And if that team leader was any indication, making any headway on their identities, let alone information on their organization would be difficult, if not impossible for him to get without some help. Maybe that frumentarii he mentioned might be useful? He decided that he couldn't lose much from asking a few more questions, as long as he didn't look too curious that is. Deciding that the man without a helmet was likely this Frumentarii, he casually made his way over.

"Hey, I'm Richard, the guy in charge of our group. You the frumentarii?"

"Yes. I am frumentarii Zimmfrock the annihilator. " Came the reply, in the same monotone.

"Wha-"

"Naw, I'm just fucking with you man! The names Anthony, what can I do you for?" He laughed, grabbing a hand from his side in a firm handshake. Oh good, at least one of them can be a normal person.

"You had me going for a second there. What's with the goofy codenames?"

"Oh, that? The old competition used to give their special troopers names like ghost, and cannibal,so Mercurio started giving our recruits names out of comic books. Didn't have the effect we wanted, since they ran off after Mercurio joined up, but we have fun with it. Not much of a story, I know, but it's one of the first and last steps in the hazing process. Which I can't talk much about. Anything else you need? "

That was probably as far as he could push for non-mission related info today without looking too interested. "So what do your boys here specialize in? I'd rather not walk into this without knowing what you can do."

"These guys? They haven't been trained for anything specific, just the standard legion upbringing so far."

"I figured as much. dont mean anything by it, but none of you look old enough for mercenary jobs."

"Dont worry, most of these boys have been handling weapons since before they could walk. They're good for what we're doing."

"...Oh, you guys come from those warrior tribes outside the kingdoms, dont you? I was wondering about those accents you had. I didn't pick up any kind of drawl from the kingdoms."

That's going to be trouble. Anytime the tribes got involved, a whole new set of laws came into place, alongside a whole lot of paperwork and lawyers. Anthony gave a surprised look for a moment, before shifting back to an almost natural grin.

"Yeah, most of us come from what we call the midwestern tribes, legion recruits heavily from them, but our boys come from all over. I'll have to see with Mercurio about how much more I can talk about."

Well that was nice. A bit of info on what he was dealing with, and he even managed to get on good terms with what seemed to be a higher ranked member of the group. Now he just had to survive long enough to make his report.

That was useful. He had to give away a bit more information than he had wanted to in order to satiate the reprobates curiosity, but hadn't compromised the curtain around the true nature of the legion, and had gained some insight into how the world was organized. 'Tribes outside the walls, huh? Now that was wonderful news.'

Frumentarii Trevor was absolutely soaked in sweat, despite the setting of the sun. It had been ages since he had dug a trench, and the humidity was only adding to the sticky dilemma. But, it had to be done, Mercurio was expecting the perimeter to be properly secured, and had emphasized that packs of dangerous wildlife was lurking in the wilderness. As knowledgeable as the man was, he expected more trouble from those with the appearance of men and souls of animals to be the cause of most of the trouble. He was distracted from his work by a sudden call from the lookout. Looking in the direction the legionary was pointing towards, he saw an unusually large wolf with bony amor.


End file.
